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Senjou
'' Senjou'' (仙丈) was the third Zaou-class heavy cruiser that was operated by the Imperial Japanese navy during World War II. Though she was considered one of the best heavy cruisers in the world, Senjou never lived up to her expectations as as Zaou-class heavy cruiser and was considered an unlucky ship. She took major damage in every battle she participated in, and was finally sunk during the Battle of Saipan on 15 June 1944. Design The desire to create a well-balanced heavy cruiser began with the development of the Ibuki-class heavy cruisers, which were essentially the same as the preceding Mogami-class cruisers but with better armor and fire control. Engineers attempted to create a cruiser with better firepower, armor, firing range, and anti-aircraft capabilities than the Ibuki-class, while still maintaining a high top speed and excellent maneuverability. The resulting design materialized as the Zaou-class heavy cruisers. This class of heavy cruisers was the best in the world at the time they were commissioned. A top speed of 35 knots meant the ship could keep up with destroyer divisions, and the armor was strong enough to shrug off shell hits from light cruisers. The firepower of this ship included four triple barrel turrets housing 203mm guns in the AB-XY positions, six double barrel dual-purpose 100mm guns, and an array of anti aircraft guns ranging in caliber from 25mm to 40mm. Four quintuple torpedo launchers were installed in the aft end of the ship firing the lethal Type F3 610mm oxygen torpedo. An advanced RADAR system was installed on the top of the ship's main mast. The air group included two aircraft, with the possibility of equipping catapult fighters or spotter aircraft. Senjou was named after Mount Senjou, a mountain located in central Japan. Service Record Senjou was laid down on 24 August 1941 and was completed and commissioned on 15 January 1942, the last of her class to be commissioned. Her first battle came with the Battle of Guadalcanal in November 1942. During a night battle on the 13th, she took two 406mm battleship rounds to the side and her engine was destroyed. She stayed afloat until the battle was won by morning, and was towed to Kure Naval Arsenal for repairs by her sister Asama. Senjou spent the next three months in the docks while her damage was repaired. By March 1943, Senjou was repaired and joined Asama once again for the Battle of Makin on 20 March 1943, where the Japanese force was attacked by Allied aircraft. While Asama managed to evade the attackng bombers, Senjou was less lucky, and was hit by three torpedoes and five bombs during the battle. After the battle ended, Senjou was once again left afloat but dead in the water, and was once again towed back to Kure by Asama. By this time, due to the amount of damage she had taken and the fact that she hadn't sunk anything yet, Senjou became the 'unlucky ship' of the Zaou-class; while her sisters were proving their worth, Senjou was preforming poorly. Two more months in port put Senjou back on the battlefield, but with the lack of major operations in 1943, she was sent on minor patrol runs for the rest of the year and for the first half of 1944. In June, Senjou and Asama were sent to Saipan to help defend the island from invasion by the Allies. The battle began on the 15th, with the two Zaou-''class heavy cruisers leading a battle line around the south tip of Tinian. It was here where the force was attacked again by Allied aircraft. This time, however, the results would be much worse. While ''Asama shot plane after plane out of the sky, Senjou was hit by a single torpedo in the stern, which destroyed her rudder and left her sailing in circles. Now an easy target, the aircraft focused fire on Senjou, and after one hour of combat, she stopped dead in the water and began to capsize. Asama and the destroyer Fuyukumo picked up survivors from the wreck. Senjou sank on 15 June 1944 at 1530 hours, about 10 nautical miles southwest of Tinian. About 310 of her crew went down with the ship. Category:Zaou-class heavy cruiser